More than 150 people crammed into a church in Longford, Coventry, to take part in the first public debate about how parking will be managed on match days at the nearby Arena.

Residents of Longford and the surrounding neighbourhoods attended the meeting, at St Thomas's Church, to hear representatives from Coventry City Council and the Arena - the new home of the Sky Blues football club - speak.

There was a heated debate about the green travel plan - which comes with promises from both the council and stadium bosses that only 25 per cent of football fans will park within 1? miles of the stadium, and that residents-only parking will be enforced on every match promised that we will not be importing the parking problems associated with Highfield Road, here."

Charles Rayner, the Arena's operations manager, said a combination of park-and ride schemes, new Coventry City supporter buses, the numbers expected to walk to home games and existing car parks would ensure that only 25 per cent of fans would be driving to within a 1.5-mile radius of the ground.

But local residents turned out in force to say existing parking problems in Longford would only be made worse by the Arena - especially since the stadium car park could take only 1,900 vehicles.

Terry Lavis, of Wilsons Lane, Longford, said: "What efforts will be made to stop people illegally parking here?

"And any away fans will come off the M6 motorway -see the stadium, and understandably park as near to it as possible. That will be on our doorstep."

Mr McGuigan lamented that the rail authorities were not prepared to run trains to the Arena site, despite the fact money had been allocated for a new station.

He pledged residents' parking schemes would be installed before the Sky Blues moved in August.

But Lonnie Downes, chairman of Longford CAN, said: "We first approached the council two years ago to say parking provision for thousands of cars was needed.

"Nothing has happened, and we are expecting nothing but chaos on match days."